Justification Justified, Title page
Justification Justified: OR THE GREAT DOCTRINE OF Justification, Stated according to the HOLY SCRIPTURES, And the Judgment of PROTESTANT DIVINES.
By which several Fundamental Truths, always owned by the Church of England, since the Reformation, are Explain'd Confirm'd, and Vindicated from the Errors of Mr. William Sherlock.
Also a Discourse in Answer to him concerning ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE PERSON of CHRIST.
By SAMƲEL ROLLS.
London, Printed for the Author, and are to be Sold by Ben. Billingsley at the Printing-Press in Corn-hill. 1674.
THESES Of Justification.
I.
THE word Justification is taken either Actively, for the Act of God who justifieth (or the Act of God in justifying) or Passively, for the priviledge (or as it is a priviledge) of such who are Justified.
II.
The Active, and Passive Justification, or Justification Actively, and Passively taken, are not two things, or two distinct species, or kinds of Justification, but one, and the same, diversly considered, or under distinct respects, and habitudes. As the love wherewith I love another man, and the love wherewith he is belov'd of me, are one and the same, but may be considedered either as in me, as the Subject of that love, or as terminated upon him as the Object.
III.
Though Active and Passive Justification do admit of a distinct consideration, yet they can never be really separated, or apart, or one without the other. For God can never be said to justifie, but when some body is Justified by him, for every Action must have an Object, and every Agent, a Patient. Therefore that justification from Eternity which some speak of, is only God's Decree to justifie such and such in time, viz. when they should come to believe in Christ, Gal. 3.8. And the Scripture fore-seeing that God would justifie the Gentiles through Faith.
Yet notwithstanding Justification Active and Passive are the same thing (only considered the first as coming from God, and the latter as received or applyed by the Believer) neither can they be separated, yet this distinction hath it's use. For when we say Faith is an Instrument of our Justification it is not as Justification is Actively considered; for how can any Action of Man be an Instrument to God's Action? But as we are Passively justified we are justified by believing; it's not our faith that doth produce our Justification properly; Therefore when it is said, that only Faith justifieth, it is to be resolved Passively. By Faith only we are justified.
IV.
The proper definition of Justification is such as doth take in both that which we call Active, and that which we call Passive: I say, both the Active, and Passive, Justification (as they are called) are involved, or included, in the usual definition of Justification, which shews that they are really the same thing, though there be some notional difference betwixt them.
V.
Justification (to give you the definition of it) is a gracious Act, or Sentence of God, whereby every true Believer is acquitted, discharged, and absolved, of, and from his sins, and is accounted, declared, and pronunced just, and righteous only for the Righteousness, or Obedience of Christ imputed to him, and received by Faith alone. Vide Ames. p. 115. Sect. 6. Rom. 3.22.24.
VI.
The fore-said Definition cannot be much, (if at all) amiss, for that it taketh in all, or almost all the causes of Justification, both Actively, and Passively considered.